Giving gifts to your employer can be stressful. If you know your employer well, you may be able to find the ideal gift. However, this can lead to problems with other employees who think you receive favoritism in return for giving the best gift. If you don't know your employer well, you don't know how your gift will be received. Review your company gift policies before buying your employer a present.

Know the Policy

Before choosing any gifts for your employer, read your office gift-giving policy carefully. Some companies may allow any type of gifts, while others have strict restrictions that prevent you from giving any type of gift to a supervisor or higher-level employee. In this case, a respectful card that expresses your thanks or wishes him a happy birthday is more appropriate. If gifts are allowed, check for price limits.

Regular Holidays

For annual celebrations, such as Christmas or someone's birthday, try to buy something small and personal, but still work-related, for your employer. If your employer is male and you know he likes golf, consider a golf-themed business card holder or coffee mug. If your employer is a woman and she likes to garden, buy her a plant that's small enough for her to enjoy in her office. Small baskets of fruit or gourmet chocolate are appreciated by most employers.

Special Occasions

Some occasions call for a larger gift, which you can usually buy by gathering money from several of your co-workers. These occasions include retirement, a new baby or recovering from surgery. The larger gifts could include a special piece of jewelry for a retirement, meals delivered when someone has a new baby or a couple of weeks of housecleaning services if someone is recovering from surgery.

Donation

If your employer is hard to buy for, donate money to a charity in honor of your employer. Your employer may have a charity he volunteers for regularly, your company may have an official charity, or you may know the college your employer attended -- most colleges accept donations to help fund programs. Your employer should get a formal recognition letter from the charity or school, which lets him know you were thoughtful enough to remember his special occasion and spend your money helping others. You probably don't make as much money as your employer, so helping a charity or university may mean more to him than a small, inexpensive gift. Your company may offer matching gifts for charitable donations, doubling the amount of the contribution.

About the Author

Based outside Atlanta, Ga., Shala Munroe has been writing and copy editing since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the "Marietta Daily Journal" and the "Atlanta Business Chronicle," she most recently worked in communications and management for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a BA in communications from Jacksonville State University.